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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Mission of Adopt-Us-Kids

Guest post by Sean Carroll at New Media Strategies

Most people familiar with the adoption and foster care process are aware of the many groups and organizations that play a role in finding homes for so many children who need them. As you all may or may not know, May is Foster Care Awareness Month. You can visit the official website here: http://www.fostercaremonth.org/, however, I have included some information below:

“All children deserve a safe, happy life — including the 496,000 Americanchildren and youth in foster care. Young people in foster care especially neednurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis andunable to care for them.

"Each May, we salute the compassionate peoplewho make a difference by serving as foster parents, relative caregivers,mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsungheroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will either safelyreunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by lovingfamilies.”

Since so many potential families are considering adoption through foster care, I wanted to take a moment to highlight one organization, in particular, that has been doing tremendous work in this field as of recently.

The organization is called Adopt-Us-Kids and they have found homes for over 10,000 children who were simply looking for a place to stay and be loved. Take a moment to read through their website, which can be found here: http://www.adoptuskids.org/. Adopt-Us-Kids (which I have come to recognize as a true blessing), and the website they put so much time into, are a fantastic resource for prospective parents who are considering adoption and/or foster care. The following is the very direct, yet powerful mission statement behind Adopt-Us-Kids:

“The mission of Adopt-Us-Kids is to recruit and connect foster and adoptivefamilies with waiting children throughout the United States.”

Their website also features a substantial and heartstring-pulling photo-listing of numerous children looking for homes where they will be loved, in addition to a great deal of information and support resources to help in understanding and becoming a part of the adoption or foster care process. Additionally, Adopt-Us-Kids also takes the time to educate and encourage potential parents about adopting teenage children, many of whom are never taken into a home simply because of their age.

So throughout May, please keep all of these children in your prayers. And if you find yourself considering adoption, take a moment to look at Adopt-Us-Kids as a resource to use throughout your journey.